Author Archives: Bob Ruggiero

About Bob Ruggiero

I am a passionate fan of classic rock (and related music) with nearly 30 years experience writing about it for daily/weekly newspapers and magazines. I am also the author of "Slippin' Out of Darkness: The Story of WAR." Available on Amazon!

Jimi Hendrix: Where the Wild Thing Was

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

Wild Thing: The Short, Spellbinding Life of Jimi Hendrix By Philip Norman 400 pp., $28.95, Liverlight Publications When veteran music journalist Philip Norman turns his attention to a musician, the word “definitive” is not an understatement. For while many of … Continue reading →

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Vanilla Fudge Goes Sweet on Led Zeppelin

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

One of Quentin Tarantino’s gifts as a filmmaker is to take a popular song of the ‘60s or ‘70s and use it really amplify a sequence. Think of the offbeat choice of Stealer’s Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” … Continue reading →

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America’s Book of History

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

If you’re a fan of the band America – the trio behind the classic rock warhorses as, well, “A Horse with No Name” along with “Sister Golden Hair,” “Ventura Highway,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” “Sandman,” “I Need You,” and “You … Continue reading →

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Chris Frantz Remembers Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and – of course – Tina!

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

Chris Frantz remembers very vividly the first time he ever laid eyes upon one Martina Weymouth. It was September of 1971, and was lounging on a grassy park with a fellow student at the Rhode Island School of Design. When … Continue reading →

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The Raw Rock of Michael Des Barres

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

With 50 years in the music business, singer Michael Des Barres certainly counts as rock royalty. But he’s also actual royalty, as in the 26th Marquis Des Barres of France—though his childhood was anything but a soft ride on a … Continue reading →

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Peter Frampton Shows the Way to His Past in Memoir

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

Do You Feel Like I Do?: A Memoir By Peter Frampton with Alan Light 352 pp., $28, Hachette Books If rock star careers were measured in terms of their level of roller coaster-ness, then Peter Frampton’s would be a ride … Continue reading →

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Artimus Pyle Remembers Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Fateful Ride in Film

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

Sometimes, the sound of impending doom is quiet. And sometimes it is loud. Less often, it is both. That’s how Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle recalls what he and 25 other band members, crew, associates, and pilots heard inside of … Continue reading →

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Blue Öyster Cult Still Recruiting Members with New Music

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

If you were lucky enough to be in Swanzey, New Hampshire at the Cheshire County Fairgrounds back on July 18, 2020, then you got to see two things classic rock fans anywhere else would kill for: a live show, and … Continue reading →

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Pablo Cruise Takes Time to “Breathe” During the Pandemic

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

When the members of Pablo Cruise disembarked in Miami after playing on the high seas as part of the Puerto Rico-bound Rock and Romance Cruise, they had no clue that the late February gig was to be their last for … Continue reading →

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Liberty Devitto: Life with the Big Beat (and Billy Joel)

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Bob Ruggiero

For nearly 30 years, he provided the big backbeat behind Billy Joel as a core member of his band for hundreds of concerts around the world and on a string of hugely successful records. The two also formed a deep … Continue reading →

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